ANTHROPOLOGICAL TROMPE L'OEILS » Questions on AAAs next publishing program

"You may have heard that the AAA’s publishing contract with Wiley-Blackwell’s is coming to an end in 2017. The AAA is preparing the terms of a new publishing contract and to such an effect will be issuing a 'Request for Proposals' (RFP) that will guide publishers as to the needs and expectations of the association. You can find more on the RFP here. During the AAA meeting in Denver (this week!) consultants Kaufman Wills Fusting will be conducting a series of interviews and focus groups on behalf of the AAA to help prepare the RFP. These will be conducted by Cara Kaufman and Fred Fusting. Perhaps you have been invited to one such interview or focus group. Such a consultation is no doubt great news. However, not everybody is conversant about the stakes of the publishing world today. So I have outlined below some of the issues that I think should be brought to the attention of the consultants and the AAA Executive more amply. The following points bring to the fore the question of Open Access. Some people, and I include myself among them, think this is the right time for the AAA to migrate to an Open Access future. However, you do not need to be an Open Access advocate or even understand the intricacies of the publishing world to grasp why bringing questions of transparency and accountability to the fore are important. So please take a look at the following and feel free to borrow as you see fit ..."